Despite interference with the Naked Donut Run last December, there is no indication the tradition will be put to a permanent end. Sciences Library security guards interfered with one run this past semester, but University officials say there is currently no intention of shutting down the run.
Runners successfully completed runs in the Rockefeller Library and the Center for Information Technology during the most recent finals period, but encountered an obstacle at the SciLi when security guards demanded their names, campus addresses and Brown identification cards. BlogDailyHerald originally reported the incident Dec. 14.
After the encounter with security guards, the runners — by then clothed — decided to complete the run, in which participants deliver donuts to students studying for final exams. No University or legal action has been taken against any of the runners or the group as a whole, Dylan '13, a participant in the run, told The Herald. Dylan requested that The Herald refrain from printing his last name because the Naked Donut Run involves public nudity and because he feels the anonymity of the runners adds to the "magic" of the run.
Although several runners reported interference from the SciLi guards, the Department of Public Safety did not participate in that interference.
"Brown police were not involved with any efforts to inhibit this activity," wrote Marisa Quinn, vice president of public affairs and University relations, in an e-mail to The Herald.
According to Dylan, the runners completed their circuits around the Rock and the CIT building before proceeding to the SciLi. The runners were in the process of removing their clothes in one of the rooms when SciLi security guards arrived and demanded the runners' personal information, he said.
The guards informed the runners that, with this information, they would be able to identify the students by monitoring the closed-circuit video system in the SciLi, Dylan said. But, he said, "They didn't stop us from doing it."
Dylan added that the officers did threaten to inform the police, but, "that was more a response to people being smart-asses."
Mark Porter, chief of public safety, said DPS did respond to a call from the SciLi about the run but found nothing to report by the time officers arrived.
"We're not looking to stop the tradition," Porter said, adding that DPS did not have a report on the incident.
Dylan expressed concern over what the incident in December might mean for the run and how people perceive the tradition."If there are people really complaining, that's something to take into account," he said. But, he said, "We're not handing out drugs — we're handing out donuts."
Scout Willis '13, who participated in last spring's Naked Donut Run, called it "a long-standing Brown tradition." Because the run takes place in private University buildings, she said she felt it was "for the Brown authorities to decide what's appropriate regarding nudity."
